What to feed copperband butterfly?

[Zalman]

I have a copperband that simply refuses to eat. Any thoughts on how to maybe entice him? Or what foods work best? I dont want to see him starve so I have given him some LR with tons of worms. He seems pretty fat from eating all of them, but I will probably run out of fan worms soon.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thus far I have tried mysis and cyclopeez.

 

[zachk]

Live blackworms are the most enticing food I've found. Also, if you can get ahold of some live rock with feather duster and other worms it will probably go nuts for those.

 

[Wrench]

+1 for blackworms. How long have you had the fish? Sometimes it takes a month for finicky fish to take prepared foods. Especially when you have a grazing fish that is not accustomed to taking food from the water column.

 

[MrTuskfish]

CBBs can be very difficult to acclimate; I think their origin has a lot to do with success. I assume he's in a nice, quiet QT; they don't like a lot of activity & commotion. How long have you had him? If he's eating anything, chances are he'll eventually give in. Fish that starve in a QT almost always have other problems; IMO & IME. Not eating and just being picky are two totally different things; I think he'll be fine. Like Zachk said, blackworms are great; but he should eat mysis, spirulina enriched brine, etc. as soon as he's out if worms & hungry.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Mine is in quarantine and it loves live blackworms. It grudgingly eats mysis (sometimes PE, and sometimes Hikari) plus spiraling brine. After a couple of weeks, it has started eating meaty foods like fish, shrimp, and scallop chopped, mixed and frozen plus Rod's and SF Bay angel and butterfly mix.

If it doesn't eat the live blackworms, try opening a live clam from the grocery store and putting it in the tank on the half shell. If neither of those work, try live brine shrimp mixed with frozen mysis.

There is a large thread on copperband butterflies that you may want to read. Make sure your water quality is excellent.

 

[cromedogg33]

Mine went NUTS for Rod's food.

 

[Zalman]

Well i tried feeding him and he wasnt eating. I didnt want him to starve so I gave him a rock that had 50-100 featherdusters on it. I think he ate them all in 1 or 2 days.

I have had him for a week now. and he still looks nice and fat from those featherdusters. Just wondering what to do when they are all gone. I think I will grab some blackworms if I can find some for him, I'd like to get him on mysis. Guess it is a waiting game.

 

[MrTuskfish]

As long has you keep feeding him live worms, thats what he's going to eat. Assuming he's healthy a fish can go a long time without eating.....let him go hungry for several days and I'll bet he eats the mysis.

 

[Zalman]

Ill try starving him into mysis. I am also going to pick up some rods food from the store this weekend since i am low on mysis. Maybe give that a shot.

As for blackworms. I dont think I have seen anything other than frozen (granted I havent looked either). Any trick to feeding CBBs blackworms? and do frozen work or no?

 

[orangegoby]

sounds like this one gonna make it ok. at least he is willing to eat something.

 

[Zalman]

He has no trouble eating.... what he wants. If only he would want what I feed. Time will tell how he does

 

[Daniel Reef]

Have you tried live black worms?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Ill try starving him into mysis. I am also going to pick up some rods food from the store this weekend since i am low on mysis. Maybe give that a shot.

As for blackworms. I dont think I have seen anything other than frozen (granted I havent looked either). Any trick to feeding CBBs blackworms? and do frozen work or no?

Ask at your local fish stores for the blackworms. They frequently come in with freshwater supplies. They are stored in a refrigerator. You want live, not frozen.

Keep them in a container with a tight lid in the refrigerator barely covered by to/di water. Change the rodi water.every other day. I use a plastic fork to drop a half dozen in the tank. Add another half dozen if the fish eats the first batch.

I feed my fish whatever they will eat in quarantine and then risk starving them into eating what the other fish eat after they are established in the DT.

 

[Zalman]

gonna pick up some blackworms tomorrow and some rods food. Seems like those might give me the best luck.

never bought blackworms before... are they expensive? do they last long in a fridge? can you "grow" your own?

 

[denash24]

live black worms are about $2.00 per portion which is enough to last you about 2 weeks if you're only feeding the CB make sure to refrigerate the black worms and change their water every few days and giving them a quick rinse in fresh water before feeding them to your fish. Your CB will not be able to resist them....